COVID-19: Information and Canada Star Secondary School’s Response

AN UPDATE FROM OUR PRINCIPAL REGARDING A RETURN TO SCHOOL – May 20, 2020

On May 15, 2020, the provincial government of British Columbia announced details of the plan to further re-open schools in British Columbia. For your reference, here is a link to the news release: https://bit.ly/3cHrsN8. The re-opening of schools is part of a gradual return to in-class instruction in BC. I can now confirm that students will be invited to return to school for in-class learning opportunities starting Monday, June 1, 2020. Please note that parents will continue to have the option of keeping their children at home to engage in remote learning.

Health and Safety:

The health and safety of our students, staff and families will continue to be our top priority. The government has released two documents that you may wish to review as you are making a decision about sending your child to school in June. Please see the COVID-19 Public Health Guidance for K-12 School Settings from the BC Centre for Disease Control and the Provincial COVID-19 Health and Safety Guidelines for K-12 Settings from the Ministry of Education. These documents outline in detail the health and safety requirements that all schools will be required to follow as more students and staff return to schools.

As schools just received these documents on May 15, 2020, we are still in the early stages of planning for what things will look like in school in June. What we do know is we will adhere very carefully to the health and safety guidelines set out in these documents in order to ensure that students and staff remain safe. Further details regarding specific health and safety protocols such as enhanced cleaning, physical distancing measures, reduced class sizes and staggered start and end times will be provided during the week of May 25, 2020.

Student Schedules:

Students will be invited to attend school the equivalent of approximately one day per week. Students will set up appointments with Mrs. Ellis to come to school so that the number of students and staff in the school at any given time is compliant with the provincial health and safety guidelines. We are limited to having 17 students in the building at one given time. We are currently working on an instructional model and will communicate details to parents during the coming week. Remote learning opportunities will continue for all students regardless of whether they attend school for face-to-face learning.

Students who require additional support will be invited to attend five days per week after consultation between the school and parent. Schools will work closely with individual parents to determine appropriate levels of support.

We understand that you may have other questions about what things will look like if your child returns to school. After our school staff works through all the details, additional information will be provided to you. We appreciate your patience as we work through the process to ensure a safe learning and work environment can be provided as students and staff return to school. In the meantime, please be assured that teachers and staff will continue to provide remote learning opportunities for your child. As always, I would like to thank all parents for the efforts you are making to work alongside your child’s school as we continue to work through these very unusual circumstances. We are grateful for your support and patience as we once again re-arrange how learning is offered to our students.

Regards,

Robert Anstey

Principal

2020 Tuition Fees and Payment Plans for International students transferring from other schools

We understand that students want to graduate on time, and have the grades they need to apply for the University of their dreams. Canada Star Secondary School will be moving to online training after the Spring Break until the Ministry advises otherwise. We have provided training to our faculty, academic advisors, and tutors as well as students, on online instruction. We are prepared to move our instruction online and we are confident, we can continue to offer our students the same level of engagement as if they were in the classroom.

We are offering international students that are currently studying in British Columbia or other parts of Canada, our returning international student fees, a $1,700 discount on tuition fees per academic year if they want to transfer into our school and finish their studies with us.

COVID-19 Payment and Refund Policy exceptions

In light of the COVID-19 development and the situation rapidly changing in different countries around the world, we have decided to amend our Payment and Refund Policy for these special circumstances, to be able to better support those whose plans may be affected and to alleviate some of the financial fears and risks for parents.

We are extending our 5% Early Payment Incentive until April 30th, 2020, for returning students who have not been able to secure their place yet.

Please do let us know if your family is unable to make their payment by their due date in advance and we can discuss payment options accordingly.

In case an official entry or travel ban is imposed by the Government of Canada and/or the Government of the country of student origin and that ban remains in place beyond 30 days after the official start date of the program prohibiting a student from arriving, a full refund of tuition and fees will be granted.

Of course, if for some reason Canada Star Secondary School itself needs to cancel the program we would provide a full refund.